Left, right dueling to fly Israeli voters in for elections

NEW YORK -- Two groups are competing to fly Israeli voters into the country to vote in the May 17 elections.

Chai L'Yisrael, a group sympathetic to the prime minister's hawkish views, is once again bringing in voters at the bargain price of $180. But this year Chai L'Yisrael is facing competition from KesherUSA, a group that opposes Netanyahu.

About 7,000 people have applied for the flights offered through the Brooklyn-based Chai L'Yisrael, according to a source with the organization who asked not to be identified. The group, which is closely aligned with Israel's right wing, expects, after screening, to send about 3,000 of these voters from North America and France.

The group, which has raised $500,000 so far, is supported by private individuals and has the backing of right-wing politicians in the United States, including New York State Assemblyman Dov Hikind. In a recent article in New York's Jewish Press newspaper, Hikind wrote, "Urge your friends, neighbors and relatives to participate in this massive drive to keep Israel Jewish and secure.

"We cannot ignore the virulent anti-Orthodox rhetoric spewing forth from the Labor camp."

Unlike many other countries, Israel has no absentee balloting -- with exceptions for diplomats.

Chai L'Yisrael has come under attack in Israel for its ties to the West Bank settler movement. An article in the Israeli daily Yediot Achranot last week charged that settler groups in Israel working with Chai L'Yisrael are screening candidates not only to make sure applicants are eligible to vote, but to examine the applicants' political beliefs. The group is reportedly turning down applicants who might vote for left-wing parties.

The Chai L'Yisrael source said it is acting in accordance with the law, adding that the group is "not UJA running a charity."

Chai L'Yisrael is being countered this time around by Kesher, which is supported by donations from liberal individuals and organizations, including the Philadelphia-based Shefa Fund.

Kesher was formed by Udi Behr, a 38-year-old jewelry designer who has lived in New York for 15 years.

Behr, a political novice, said the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin in November 1995 "woke me up to the very tough reality." Rabin, he says, did a "lot of wonderful things for Israel. He created a lot of opportunity, a lot of hope. And then we lost a lot of hope."

Behr predicts that Kesher will fly 3,000 to 5,000 voters to Israel from across North America -- including from the Bay Area. The flights will cost $349 for students, and $450 for others.

Kesher is sending its voters on regular El Al flights, while Chai L'Yisrael is using regular El Al flights, chartered flights as well as other airlines.

"The history of this is that there has long been a belief in Israel that thousands and thousands of conservative and right-wing Americans who are Israeli citizens come to Israel to vote in elections," said Steve Rabinowitz, a media consultant working for the campaign of Labor Party candidate Ehud Barak.

Indeed, when Benjamin Netanyahu was elected prime minister in 1996 by less than a percentage point -- roughly 50.4 percent to 49.5 percent for his Labor challenger Shimon Peres -- some observers believed that Israelis living abroad who were flown in by groups supporting Netanyahu made the crucial difference.